Spelling s-u-c-c-e-s-s
Jill Skone/courtesy photoWarden Elementary School fourth-grade student Kelley Skone, left, and Discover Elementary School fourth-grade student Mornay Schoner, pose with their ribbons after placing first at the Grant County Spelling Bee.
COLUMBIA BASIN - Ten-year-old Keeley Skone remembers the last word she spelled at the Grant County Spelling Bee.
The word was "equilateral," and Skone's successful spelling made her a winner headed to the North Central Washington Regional Spelling Bee.
"I'm kind of nervous, but I'm going to do my best," Skone said.
Fifteen students in Grant County qualified for the regional competition as either grade-level winners or alternates.
Spelling bee coordinator Caiti Velazquez said the regional competition is at 6 p.m. at Eastmont Junior High School in East Wenatchee March 20. The regional winner competes in Washington D.C., at the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Fourth-grade winners are Discover Elementary student Mornay Schoner, Warden Elementary student Keeley Skone, and Monument Elementary student Victor Ramos as alternate.
Fifth-grade winners are Parkway Elementary student Nathan Elliott, Red Rock Elementary student Rosalexi Rodriguez, and Wilson Creek Elementary student Katelyn Turnbull as alternate.
Sixth-grade winners are Soap Lake Middle School student Alona Babak, Royal Middle School student Jonah Bartrand, and Frontier Middle School student James Hurst as alternate.
Seventh-grade winners are Ephrata Middle School student Shannon Downey, Frontier Middle School student Jennifer Dirks, and Warden Middle School student Josh Felsman as alternate.
Eighth-grade winners are Chief Moses Middle School student Madi Wilks, Frontier Middle School student Taylor Francis, and Chief Moses Middle School student Zach Walker as alternate.
"(I participated) to challenge myself and become a better speller," said Skone, a fourth-grade student at Warden Elementary School.
She said she was surprised with how well she did.
Eleven-year old Jonah Bartrand, a sixth-grade student at Royal Middle School, said he participated in the spelling bee when he was in fourth grade.
"The funny thing was, the school had me go to the Okanogan-Chelan Spelling Bee instead of the Grant one, but I still got first," Bartrand said.
This year, Bartrand participated in the Grant County Spelling Bee.
He said participating in the spelling bee gives him something to do. He said he does not enjoy spelling.
"I don't enjoy it, but it's something I'm good at," Bartrand said.
To prepare for the competition, Bartrand studied a booklet containing words used at the spelling bee. He said they deviate from the words if they run out of them. The same words are used at the regional competition.
He said he was pretty sure at the regional competition, all the words from the booklet would be used.
Chief Moses Middle School eighth-grade student Madi Wilks won the county competition four times.
Wilks, 14, said she enjoys spelling.
"I guess reading helps me learn a lot of words and learn how to spell them," she said.
Last year, Wilks placed sixth or seventh in the region.
The competition is set up so all grade levels compete against one another.
"Now that I'm in eighth grade, I think it will be a little easier," she said.
She said she enjoys learning words originating from different languages, including German, Slavic and French-language words.
"I think it's just like, you have to like think clearly, and spell slow and not get nervous," Wilks said.
She said she saw other students try to spell a word too fast and spell it wrong because they are nervous. Even though they know the word, the students lose the competition.